I typically avoid wading into topics that land on the more political side of the fence and prefer to leave that to my colleagues who have a much better understanding of Canada’s political arena.
That being said, after hearing Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce’s recent comments basically accusing school boards — and, by proximity, their teachers — of trying to close down schools on April 8 due to the total solar eclipse that will take, I decided I would break that rule.
“Stop the madness. Kids deserve to be in class,” Lecce wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Feb. 29.
In an additional post he wrote: “Every citizen on Earth will be showing up to work … Every front-line worker from transit to nurses will be going to work and I expect the same for our educators."
Stop the madness.
— Stephen Lecce (@Sflecce) February 29, 2024
Kids deserve to be in class. https://t.co/dsXILLlubn
During an interview late last month on radio station AM640, Lecce said the eclipse served as a teachable moment and an opportunity to educate kids and make science exciting. In that, he is not wrong.
Where my blood started to boil, however, was when he alluded that boards and teachers were instead looking for a reason to “not be in class.”
Similar to many other school board’s across the province, both the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) and the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) announced last month their plan to swap the planned PA Day on April 26 to the day of the eclipse, which is April 8.
“The decision to alter the PA Day for elementary schools was based on consultation with a variety of stakeholders, including the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. The SCDSB examined various options to ensure student safety and minimize disruption to student learning,” noted the letter sent to parents on Feb. 12.
“The total solar eclipse provides a unique opportunity for teaching and learning. The SCDSB is developing resources for students and staff that will include a focus on safety," the board's letter added.
When I first heard this was happening at other boards, my initial reaction was that it was ridiculous. As I started to research and learn what the rationale behind it was, I came to understand, and ultimately agreed, that it simply made sense.
Lecce claimed teachers should be using the eclipse as a learning opportunity, which, if it were occurring during the course of the regular school day, I would have had to agree.
If this was taking place during school hours, I’d expect a different decision would have been made, as school staff would have been able to ensure their young students were kept inside in order to ensure they weren’t staring directly into the sun.
That is not the case, however, as the solar eclipse is set to occur right as elementary school students are being dismissed from school.
This would mean that students would be heading home — whether by bus or on foot — right around the time skies are dark or when looking at the sky could damage their eyes.
And, let's be honest, most kids, no matter how many times they're told not to, would probably still attempt a quick peek up into the sky.
Every teacher I know loves to take advantage of natural learning opportunities, and would have jumped at the chance to use this as a fun and engaging way to teach their students about the science behind a total solar eclipse.
While they won’t be in the classroom during the eclipse, I feel pretty confident that teachers will be using the upcoming phenomena in their classrooms as much as possible leading up to the eclipse, as well as after the fact.
I have to wonder if maybe our education minister may want to consider heading back to the classroom himself in order to sharpen those research skills and, as my kids' kindergarten teachers used to say “put on those listening ears” before throwing educators under the proverbial school bus yet again.
Nikki Cole is a staff reporter at BarrieToday.
